Serbia has withdrawn its ambassador to the Czech Republic to protest the country’s recognition of Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

A Foreign Ministry statement released Friday says Serbia’s government has also lodged a formal protest with the government in Prague.

Kosovo was Serbia’s medieval heartland, but is now populated mostly by ethnic Albanians. It declared independence from Serbia in February.

Kosovo has won recognition from the United States and more than half of European Union member nations. Serbia and its traditional ally Russia oppose Kosovo’s statehood.